According to the LEN III, the Twins may offer Casey Blake a contract as soon as next week, while others say that a “framework” has already been offered.
I have mixed feelings about this development. The first thing that comes to mind is disgust; I would rather do three things than be forced to sign an old, frail third baseman with some pop and horrible defense. Here are the three things that I would rather do than sign Blake…
Trade for Adrian Beltre
I’m convinced the Twins have enough to get a deal done. Beltre has one of the best gloves in the game and carries a very solid bat at the plate. He would be a huge asset to an already powerful Twins middle-of-the-order.
It wouldn’t take tons to get Beltre; but probably more than usual. The Mariners are stuck in the middle of a rebuilding mode and want to get as much fresh talent as possible. However, in the same light they might also want to get rid of Beltre and his hefty contract at all costs. Whatever the case, the Twins could probably make a deal with Seattle involving Michael Cuddyer, Glen Perkins, and a lesser prospect.
The Twins could most likely land Beltre, but the question then raised is, “do they want to?”
Trade for Garrett Atkins
This deal could also be made. The Rockies just traded for closer Huston Street, and there has been much talk about possibly turning him around and trading him again to fill other holes. The Twins have been mentioned among those who might be interested in Street, with the recent news that Neshek will miss 2009.
Joe C. disagrees. Huston Street was paid closer money, and the Twins have an elite closer in Joe Nathan already. I agree with Joe — although it would be nice to have a player of Street’s caliber in the Twins bullpen. If his ego would allow him to slide into the set-up role the 2009 Twins bullpen would be among the top in the league.
Back to Atkins, though. He would provide a great bat in the middle of the lineup. Or would he? The biggest question raised about him is his awful home/road splits. He is hitting .342/.380/.523 with a .904 OPS in Colorado, but a dismal .233/.278/.383 with an OPS of .661on the road. Some may dispute whether or not the hitter-friendly Coors Field is the only reason Atkins is even worthy of a starting spot on a major league team.
It is risky to trade for Atkins, but it could reap huge dividends. If a change of scenery is all this soon-to-be 29-year old needs, than the Twins should jump at any chance of trading Michael Cuddyer and/or Glen Perkins for him. Of course, there is no way to know whether or not he would be a trade bust.
Will strikeouts hamper Kouzmanoff's tradability?
Trade for Kevin Kouzmanoff
Kouzmanoff is my third most-wanted commodity. He has a lot of power potential, but strikes out a lot. Being 27 years old he still has some years left in the tank, and he has a very reasonable price tag — $410,000 last year. His defense isn’t the best and would be about the same as Buscher’s.
The thing the Twins most need is a power-hitting, right-handed third baseman. Kouzmanoff fills that void perfectly, but comes bundled with excessive strikeouts.
Those are the three things that I would do before I ever offered Blake a contract. On the other hand, after thinking about this latest development for a while, I have realized that I am simply glad GM Bill Smith has done something.
He has been sitting on his hands for too long. He was pushed around when dealing with Santana and settled for less than what the best pitcher in the league was worth. If he can make at least a couple of major acquisitions this off-season, he will start asserting himself as a force to be reckoned with in baseball.
Blake is a perfect example of a Minnesota Twin. Bill Smith may be attempting to make his team better through a free agent signing — which is what is expected of him. He is too new to break the mold of what the Twins believe in, however, so he may not yet feel comfortable going against countless years of small-ball.
Casey Blake may seem like a minor pick-up, but it could be a modest start to the Bill Smith era.
November 16th, 2008 at 3:27 am
Here’s the way I see things happening. We trade for a third baseman and sign a shortstop or trade for a shortstop and sign a third baseman. I’d rather sign Blake than re-sign Punto if it means that we can go after a guy like J.J. Hardy or Yunel Escobar. The reason I say Punto is because he’s the most realistic option and it’s a pipe dream to think Furcal could be a Twin.
I’d rather have Blake with Hardy or Escobar (two guys I think we have very strong interest in) than either Atkins or Kouzmanoff with Punto.
Beltre is a different story, but he definitely will cost the most to acquire which still makes me lean towards signing Blake and trying to trade for a shortstop.
Just my .02. I just don’t think Blake is anywhere near the “typical Twins signing” like some seem to think. He is a proven everyday player (unlike Mike Lamb or Tony Batista) with good overall numbers.
November 16th, 2008 at 4:38 am
It looks like Yunel isn’t going to be an option, with the Brave’s interest in Peavy. The rumor is that Atlanta is “moving on”, but I doubt they will give up on Peavy. They need him.
But the idea of signing one/trading for another is very good and I like it. I would be more than happy with Blake if it meant trading for Hardy or Escobar. Thanks, Josh!
November 17th, 2008 at 4:21 am
I’d love to take Casey Blake for two years, and I think it’d be a solid move if the team uses what they didn’t need to trade for guys like Atkins or Beltre on a shortstop.
I’d much rather they sign Blake because Hughes is supposed to be ready within a few years while at short there is no clear future.
If the Twins sign Blake and trade for Hardy it’ll be a solid off-season.
November 18th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Great post and I think Blake would fit perfectly for the Twins. Right handed hitter, some power, plays good defense and won’t cost a ton.
Kouz is a great player and if Bill Smith can get him, go for it! But more than likely, he’ll cost an arm and a leg, especially with the Padres already getting rid of Hoffman and probably Giles and Peavy. There’s only so much you can piss off a fan base in one offseason.
November 21st, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Why does anyone like Kouzmanoff? Twins would have to give up Blackburn/Perkins to add another Carlos Gomez. Kouzmanoff would bring Gomez’s 120+Ks, barely .300 OBP, but instead of Gomez’s speed and D, he brings bad D, no speed and the mere possibility of 20 HR. No way. Buscher/Harris platoon with Blackburn/Perkins is better than that.
Same Atkins. The Buscher/Harris platoon was basically average/slightly below average, and they were cheap. A trade for Atkins or Kouzmanoff means giving up solid players and spending more money for only a slight overall improvement. Those resources are better spent where they can make a great improvement like Hardy at SS, or prying Lillibrige away from Atlanta if the Peavy deal doesn’t go through.
Blake is 35. He’ll be very overpaid at 36, 37 and 38 for what he’ll bring so why go there?
Beltre would be great but only if he wanted to sign an extension immediately, which he won’t, and the Twins won’t offer much for 1 year of an expensive guy.
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